Uneven FIDDLER — Page 2

To LLW:

I played Motel about 30 years ago--when the rights were first released. I'd done a community theater production of FIDDLER where I played Mendel. That show closed and I shaved off my beard. About two weeks later another theater group called and asked if I was available to do Motel. The fellow who was rehearsing the role had been injured in a car accident and had to withdraw. Although I wasn't physically right for the role, I went on with only two weeks rehearsal. I guess I was okay in the role.

Many years later, I'd taken my mother and father to a dinner theater for Father's Day and the owner stopped by our table. He explained that their production of FIDDLER was already in production but had lost their Lazer Wolf. Could I do the part? I was given the script for a week and had one 45 minute rehearsal (mostly devoted to "To Life") and I went on. I finished the run and was okay.

Oh yeah, somewhere in between I designed the sets for a high school production of the show.

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Yes it was. Now I'd like to do the role of Tevye--with ample rehearsal time, please!

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Ah, yes! Tim the Sensuous Egyptian.

Welcome to Broadwayworld.com. have you met Corine yet?

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Well, she likes iguanas.

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Yes he does. Craig Ramsay plays "Boris", a Russian dancer in this production....or so says the playbill. :)

OK
SO I've refrained from getting a user name and responding to a lot of the foolish things said on here, but because I have more than one very good friend in FIDDLER on Broadway right now, I'd rather correct some ignorance then just let it slide.

Ok...the production is "JEWISH" enough for you???ARE YOU JOKING!?
What is JEWISH ENOUGH??? Alfred Molina is BRILLIANT which is why he everyone knew that if Jackman (who deserved his Tony COMPLETELY) hadn't been nominated Molina would have walked away with it the way Jackman did. Molina puts so much heart into that world. Who is anyone to say "he is not Tevye" well WHO IS?
You cannot forever base a role on the man who originated it. Bravo to Leveaux as a Director and Molina as an actor for getting a new take on it but keeping the roots that MATTERED.

How does an actor stretch if he takes on a revival role and simply embodies NOT the character but the person who originated the chracters take??? Thats rediculous. Alan Cumming was not Joel Grey, Kerry Butler was not Ellen Greene, Brian Rivell was not Robert Preston! And Yet they all succeeded!
I will admit at the beginning of the performance Molinas accent was holding me back from seeing what he was REALLY doing with the role but I was being stupid by allowing that.
I love when someone can perfect an accent when it makes sense to use it and it just adds so much to the role (ie: Mary Stuart Masterson in NINE) but when someone half asses an accent or is playing someone french and decides to have A BRITISH accent instead I CRINGE.
Molina's relationship with all the girls was gorgeous to me. What did you want him to do??? His love for them , especially considering the conservativeness of the culture, had to be highly internal. Coming from within. It was, and it was beautiful.
Should Leaveaux have inserted a HEATED make-out session between Molina and Graff, in their 40's or 50's as conservative jews who have NEVER outwardly shown affection and are JUST starting to realize what they have??? It wouldn't have made sense for the transition to happen so quickly!
John Cariani is one of the saving graces of musical theatre. A hard working new edition to theatre who couldn't be more pleased and humbled to be onstage. He has worked his butt off to be what he is which is PERFECT. Motel is TERRIFIED. Would his entire body shake asking his SECRET girlfriends HUGE old father to allow her to break a sacred bond and be his wife and go against everything they've been taught?? UM YEA! And somehow John managed to brign humor and heart and make that role his own. You'll notice he is awkward and Leveaux made Sally Murphy's character the classic beauty yes, but threw in awkwardness and a child like love. If you watch simply the way she RUNS with Motel this is evident. They LOVE eachother.
I don't know if anything could have been more gorgeous than the "Chavalah" number. It is simple and perfect, and demonstrates truly gifted acting.
David Leveaux is highly internal, he also strives to turn out and impecable show, regardless of whether or not he has to go against the grain. He'll MAKE you THINK! OH NO!
Nancy Opel was last minute...now I'm not going to be a fool and so "Oh maybe she's still trying to find her character" but she's doing a good job. She irritated me, but she is talented and she is funny. Maybe not perfect for the role (I guess she's not "jewish" enough) but she IS good. The daughters are all wonderful. MATCHMAKER finally WORKS. The dancing is beautiful. It's simple where it makes sense to be and complicated and beguiling where that works and with who it works with. The set is the greatest thing I've ever seen and It just made the
show that much more enjoyable. Leaveaux also constantly amazes me with how well and how brilliantly he uses children. And that the children he finds are humble and gifted and grow each night under their directors watchful gaze.

I know we're all entitled to our opinions. If you hate the show, FINE. But don't be smug going in hoping you get the original or the movie. A Director who would turn out that kind of a product is insulting you. Go in and be open. It is disgusting to me to expect Alfred Molina to be a stereotype , a fat , jewish man, with a loud booming accented voice. He doesn't need to be obnoxious or lapping up his children every five seconds. He is what he is.

This was a new FIDDLER. An original in it's own right with the core values that made it a classic. That's what counts.

well i havent seen the revival on broadway right now. but i did see it on the tony awards and thought it look like a great show. i really enjoyed it on the tony's.

Wow, I think Brody said everything I was about to spew on here. Yay for thinking!

And I think that Jews who claim that the production is not "Jewish enough" are really invoking some self-defeating stereotypes. Absolutely ridiculous.

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Dollypop,

Thanks for your Fiddler stories. Right now i am actually the perfect age to be playing Motel (19) and it is rare that in a production the daughters and Motel are actually played by actors the actual age who can sing the parts. Our Hodel has already sung solo at Carnagie Hall at the age of 20. When I am a lot older I hope to tackle the complex character of Tevye, what ana amazingly written role.

And Brodybaby...the way you described John Cariani's performance is very similar to the way I am approaching the character...sheer fear of Tevye. Maybe that's why people are saying we are similar. I see where you are coming from in your review of the show, but at the same time I can see that what you take as making the acting more internal washes the show of some of it's outward flavour.

Akiva

Updated On: 7/26/04 at 03:14 PM

oh to answer the john cariani question. i LOVED his motel. i could not stop laughing when he came on stage and was going back and forth. i would pay to hear him say 'my new sewing machine!'

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Thank you Brodybaby03 - for your wonderful insight into this production. I am not as articulate as you but I would like to add simply that for the first time, I 'got it'. I had always found Fiddler to be somewhat somber and sad. This production is ever so much more optomistic: the ending shows everyone looking forward to their own particular future - about HOPE for the future. For the first time, I came away from 'Fiddler' uplifted and happy.